RussVegas Half Marathon a crowning momentFor those citizens of Russellville and the Arkansas River Valley area who did not observe, volunteer or simply consider the magic or magnetism of this half-marathon event that occurred on Saturday, April 26, you truly missed one of the most spectacular occasions in our history. I mean, it was up there. It is historical and is the kind of event that will secure a place of thrills and excitement for many more years for the River Valley. I will c...

Political campaign money as it impacts freedom of speechA majority of the United States Supreme Court seems to have an obsession with the First Amendment freedom of speech and its relationship to money. Their point seems to be that it takes money to pay for media, and media is necessary for freedom of speech. What they fail to say is those people and corporations with the most money have an advantage in the promotion of speech (which is not free). This debate seems to be a throwback to the early 19...

Strength and recoveryLast year, Arkansas had an unusually calm year for tornado activity. It was a nice reprieve, but we knew it wouldn’t last. On the night of April 27, powerful storms tore through Central Arkansas. A high-end EF4 tornado devastated Mayflower and Vilonia, and stayed on the ground for more than 40 miles through three counties. Fifteen Arkansans lost their lives, making it the deadliest day for twisters in our state since the storms of March 1, 199...

Precious Lord, hold my handIf you have ever heard and appreciated the song “Precious Lord” reported to have been written and sung by Tommy Dorsey, the big band leader, you will enjoy a story I read about it some time ago. There is an unusual twist to this story and I will tell it to you at the end of the column. The story begins, “Back in 1932, I was a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie, and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago’s south side. One hot August af...

Hot, long summer coming up this yearJune 21 is officially the first day of summer, but — as happens during any election year — the heat is going to set in well before then. It’s going to be a long, hot spring and an even longer, hotter summer. Unless things are going swimmingly, mid-term elections are never easy for the party of a sitting president. If they are not, then the inclination of the electorate is to split the power between the political parties of the president and th...

Elizabeth Warren’s biggest mistakeI was only up to Page 9 of “A Fighting Chance” when my jaw dropped. “OMG,” I wrote in my notes. “She gave up full scholarship to GW to get married at 19.” “She,” as in Sen. Elizabeth Warren, consumer activist and scourge of Wall Street. “GW,” as in George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, is a populist gale force, and that’s what I had intended to write about in discussing her new book. But I kept c...

Cleaning skeletons out of the political closetWith Europeans intrigued by America’s unexpected success, Alexis de Tocqueville carried out an in-depth study of the new nation in the 1830s. He was quite impressed with our divided government, which featured the separation of powers. This structure made it difficult for any one branch — executive, judicial or legislative — to acquire too much power and run roughshod over the other branches and the will of the American people. Unfortunately, t...

Walkers seek home for every waiting childNear midfield at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium Saturday stood displayed the photos of 140 children. Their ages and races differed, and the snapshots revealed their unique personalities. But they had this in common: They all are waiting to be adopted. The Arkansas Heart Gallery is a coordinated effort involving the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services and Project Zero, an organization seeking a home for every child in Arkansas...

Parties eye boost from voter ID debateLITTLE ROCK — A Pulaski County judge’s decision to strike down Arkansas’ voter ID law complicates planning for a primary that would have been the first statewide test of new voting restrictions, and reopens a debate that Democrats and Republicans both see as having an upside in this fall’s election. Ruling in a case that had focused on a narrow portion of the law, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Tim Fox declared the requirement that voters show p...

Keeping pace with global competitionLITTLE ROCK — The United States is a country built by exceptional achievements and a drive to always set the bar higher. However, in recent years, our national education system has not met those standards. The latest international educational survey was released late last year by the Program for International School Assessment. While at one time, we were consistently at or near the top of this survey, America now ranks 20th in reading, 23rd in...

Saga of the redneck farm kidIt is not just by chance some of my columns that get the most response are those that are just plain funny or at least humorous. Especially in today’s times, we all need a good laugh once in a while — in fact I could use one several times each day. A friend sent me a story awhile back about the Redneck Farm Kid in the Marines. I truly enjoyed it and felt you might as well. It begins: “Dear Ma & Pa, I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt an...

The high cost of liberalism: Part IIIIncome inequality has long been one of the liberals’ favorite issues. So there is nothing surprising about its being pushed hard this election year. If nothing else, it is a much-needed distraction from the disasters of ObamaCare and the various IRS, Benghazi and other Obama administration scandals. Like so many other favorite liberal issues, income inequality is seldom discussed in terms of the actual consequences of liberal policies. When yo...

The high cost of liberalism: Part IILiberals can be disarming. In fact, they are for disarming anybody who can be disarmed, whether domestically or internationally. Unfortunately, the people who are the easiest to disarm are the ones who are the most peaceful — and disarming them makes them vulnerable to those who are the least peaceful. We are currently getting a painful demonstration of that in Ukraine. When Ukraine became an independent nation, it gave up all the nuclear miss...

The high cost of liberalism in AmericaLiberals advocate many wonderful things. In fact, I suspect that most conservatives would prefer to live in the kind of world envisioned by liberals, rather than in the kind of world envisioned by conservatives. Unfortunately, the only kind of world that any of us can live in is the world that actually exists. Trying to live in the kind of world that liberals envision has costs that will not go away just because these costs are often ignored b...

Medicare versus ObamacareMedicare vs. Obamacare. That’s what this year’s Senate race between Sen. Mark Pryor and Rep. Tom Cotton is about. Cotton’s campaign points to Pryor being the necessary vote to pass Obamacare, and Pryor’s points to Cotton’s Medicare votes that would raise the eligibility age for future beneficiaries and create a voucher-like system where seniors would buy insurance using government subsidies. Last week, Pryor received the endorsement of the Nat...

Debate might not change Senate raceWith a proposal for a series of “Lincoln-Douglas style” debates around Arkansas with Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, Republican Rep. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle could change the dynamics in a race that’s mostly been waged through an increasingly costly television ad blitz. He also joins a list of candidates who have looked to debates as a game changer. It hasn’t always worked for the candidate seeking the debate. Cotton called for the two rivals...

Maggio case raises some important questionsThe controversy surrounding Faulkner County Circuit Judge Mike Maggio has raised an important question about judicial independence as Arkansas nears the May 20 party primaries and judicial elections. Maggio had been a candidate for the Arkansas Court of Appeals until blogger Matt Campbell reported in his Blue Hog Report about the Conway judge’s numerous postings on a Louisiana State University fan Web site under the pseudonym “geauxjudge.” He ...

Tourism treasurersLITTLE ROCK — Throughout my time as Governor, we have seen many twists and turns in the national economy that have made their impact known in Arkansas. Throughout both the tumultuous and brighter times, I’ve been extremely pleased by the accomplishments of the Arkansas tourism industry. Its members have worked hard to promote Arkansas’ unfailing hospitality and the many wonders our state has to offer. Arkansas is the first state in the U.S. wh...

I can hear a train a-comin’The late Johnny Cash (1932-2003) was born in my home state of Arkansas, and during his musical career he had many great hits, including one of my favorites titled “Folsom Prison Blues.” This song begins with these words, “I hear a train a comin’, it’s rolling round the bend, and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when. I’m stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin’ on … down to San Antone.” To be sure, trains and railroad tracks...

Gender pay and statistical fraudsThe “war on women” political slogan is in fact a war against common sense. It is a statistical fraud when Barack Obama and other politicians say that women earn only 77 percent of what men earn — and that this is because of discrimination. It would certainly be discrimination if women were doing the same work as men, for the same number of hours, with the same amount of training and experience, as well as other things being the same. But study...